Saturday 23 June 2012

...And Now For Something Completely Different...

I was going to put up a post today, as I often do. Normally, I tend to write posts weeks in advance so I always have something to post, but today I feel like just being spontaneous and writing something off the cuff so to speak.



I've just returned from a very nice short break to North Wales, where I stayed in Llandudno and travelled to places like Llanrwst and Conwy, which are all beautiful little towns; I've never been to Llanrwst before and it was a pleasant surprise alltold.  All three places have lovely views and all have nice places to eat, nice pubs and things to see and do. Here's a picture of Llanrwst I took:



It really is a lovely place and like so many towns and villages in North Wales, as you can see, it's not that far from beautiful countryside, hills and small mountains, farms and rural settings.  Llanrwst is particularly like this as if you look on google map, there's nothing else much around it, just farms and countryside and perhaps the odd little village tucked away somewhere well off the beaten track. It was my first time in Llanrwst, but definitely not my last.



I stayed in a Bed and Breakfast in Llandudno for the duration of my stay which I always do, as it's very good value for money and the breakfasts are really good.  Then I travel by a pretty good transport system, always the bus, to places here and there. There's so much to do in Llandudno itself that you could easily just spend three days there without going anywhere else.  But as it's my umpteenth visit I tend to want to go to other places.  There is a place in Llandudno called the Great Orme, which is a big hill which rises up above the town which I always pay a visit to at least once while I am there.  Here's a picture taken on the Great Orme:


There's a few nice pubs in Llandudno, one called the King's Head and another called the Queen Victoria, amongst many others.  I went in both for my visit.  Here's a picture of the bar in the King's Head:



I also visited a town called Conwy, which is probably my favourite town in the whole of the British Isles; it's got a castle, old Mediaeval walls, reputedly the smallest town in Britain, a few really good pubs especially the George & Dragon, loads of places to eat and is so quaint and picturesque that you might just marvel at how wonderful such a place can be.  There is also a church with a churchyard there, with a very unusual 'gravestone' with the mysterious legend 'We Are Seven' painted on it.  Here is a picture of it:



In Llandudno, there is a long pier and there is a long promenade, both of which are enjoyable to walk along whatever the weather.  I was fortunate on my little mini break as the weather was good while I was there even though just before it was cold and rain-swept and afterwards it's been cold and rain-swept too.  I always walk along the promenade at least once while I am there.  Here is a picture of the promenade and beach:



Well that's my little tale of adventure.  I wrote this because I think sometimes we all need to spend some time doing something fun and spontaneous, and not just worrying all the time about where we are going or how we are going to make it, or how we are going to plan for our futures, and so on.  Sometimes we might need merely to have faith in God that He knows all the answers and He knows where we are going and what kind of wonderful future we all have if we are Christians.  God is about fun, good times, peace, enjoyment and the simple things in life, simple things which might after all give us the most real pleasure.

14 comments:

  1. A great post!
    I too have visited North Wales, and I stayed at a hotel in Llandudno. I recall the Great Orme, and as this was way back in 1979, there was a cable car taking people up to the summit of Orme. I wonder if the cable car is still there now.
    I too have also visited Conwy, with its castle and also "Britain's Smallest House" which indeed, getting up those stairs was a struggle!
    And finally Llangollen, with the River Dee running through it, this town is towered over by the ruins of Dinas Bran Castle on a nearby hill.
    Thanks for your post, Tim. It is good to bring back wonderful memories!
    God bless.

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    1. It's nice getting such interesting comments when you write a post. I've stayed at Llandudno for a few years now because there are lots of very reasonably priced B & Bs there and there are loads of decent little restaurants, cafes and pubs to eat and drink in too.

      Yes, the cable car is still going up and down the Orme; apparently it's the oldest continually running cable car in Britain. I never go up on it myself, I always walk up and save a few quid so I can have a coffee or something on the cafe at the summit.

      Yes, I absolutely love Conwy and always visit it when I stay in Llandudno. I love the castle a lot and have taken quite a few photos of it over the years too.

      I haven't been to Llangollen for years now, but no doubt I will now you've mentioned it. Wherever you go in North Wales there's always something interesting to see. I'm really glad to have evoked your memories.

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  2. Hi Tim, what a lovely post and what a great time you have had. You are so right about enjoying the things you love doing. I don't know if I've told you this before but I recently bought a cd called 'Love is a four letter word'. One of the tracks is called 'Living in the moment', and it is all about not planning your own future, but living and loving the good things that bring pleasure to you today. God has every day of our lives written in His book before even one of them was formed, and they are all good!

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    1. Hi Brenda; as regards the post, I just thought that I'd like to write something that was fresh, rather than weeks old, something topical and nice; I'm really glad you like it!

      Yes, I think it's always better to be 'Living in the moment' than constantly fretting about either the past or the future. There's no point in worrying about the past because it's gone, and often there's no point in worrying about the future because we can't predict the future. Living in the here and now is really the only option we have; tomorrow never comes.

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  3. Hi Tim,
    just thanking you for the helpful comments about post design. Your comment didn't come out under the blog reply, it came out on my 'comments' list. I think this is due to me 'blocking' myself from my 'followers' list after accidently 'following' my own blog, so I have added myself again ( please be assured this is not vanity,ha ha ) as the 'how to remove yourself from following a blog' advice didn't work. I shall learn eventually.

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  4. I did notice when I left a second and third comment on your blog that it was all white and couldn't be read, although you can highlight it with the arrow and can read it that way.

    I think my 'expertise' in making my blog more personalised was half luck and half me always liking to tinker with things!

    Once I got my head around it, it became quite easy, well fairly easy to change it to the way I wanted it to look.

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  5. Hey TC

    North Wales is a nice part of the world, no mistake.

    The unplanned and spontaneous night out is always the best.

    ATB

    Daz

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    1. Hi Daz; yeah, I agree wholeheartedly mate, there's so much to see and do in North Wales, you've got it all really; countryside, hills, valleys, mountains, little villages, towns and even the odd city, and they all seem to be crammed with good places to eat, nice shops to browse or buy stuff from, lots of things to see and do and there are some nice genuinely quaint (if a little expensive) pubs dotted around here and there.

      You wrote: 'The unplanned and spontaneous night out is always the best.' Yeah, couldn't agree more mate. If it's a good one it's often the best.

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  6. "Blessed are all who have their trust in him", Psalm 2:12.

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  7. Amen David! Thanks for the contribution.

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  8. Wonderful pictures and post. I'm so glad to get a glimpse of your vacation spot. I would love to visit England.. I was there once in 1968..probably before you were born:)
    Blessings,
    Alicia

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  9. Oh thankyou very much Alicia; it's always nice to know that people appreciate what you've taken time to write and put together. You were in England just after I'd been born, but not long after!

    What I really like about the British Isles, and what I think many tourists around the world like, is that there is so much to see in a relatively small place; the Celtic fringe is exciting to me and I've always wanted to explore Ireland, especially the South West of Ireland; all those lonely windswept places and that magnificent Atlantic coast. And I love Wales too; so many thing to see and do. Never visited Scotland although one day maybe I will.

    Ah America; now there is somewhere I'd love to see; cities, deserts, forests, towns, coast and so much more.

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  10. Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing! Makes me want to visit Britain all the more! What kinds of foods did you eat on your trip?

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  11. Oh that's very kind of you Rebecca; it's always a pleasure to know someone else likes a picture you've taken or a post you've written. I think if the weather was ok, not too rainy or cold, you'd adore visiting here. North Wales is fantastic because it's quite compact and easy to get around and yet everywhere there is peace and quiet and country lanes and lonely farms, the type that make you want to walk for miles; and then you come across a country pub... it's all very nice.

    Ah food; one of my favourite subjects! Well this is the curious thing; at home I tend to make curries and pasta sauces and stir fries from scratch, I even write down the recipes for future reference, but when I travel strangely enough I tend to go for simple 'British' food like omelettes and baked potatoes with tuna mayo, or gammon steak and chips (fries0) with an egg and salad and things like that. One of the reason I'd love to see America, apart from the fact I have a number of good friends there, is trying out all the wonderful foods and restaurants; it just seems so good. Thanks for the comment; I do appreciate it!

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